We continue to give thanks

 I hope you had a great time of fun and fellowship with your family yesterday as you all celebrated Thanksgiving.  I actually hosted Thanksgiving dinner -and had my family over, everything went well -Praise the Lord. Two years ago I never knew that I would have gotten to this point. God has brought me a mighty long way. Please continue to keep me and my family in your prayers.

 In addition to your meal, what else were you thankful for this holiday season? I hope you were able to identify at least one other thing that you were grateful for. It is so easy to focus on that one thing that we do not have rather than on the many things that we do have.

I Thess. 5: 18 sums this up very well. Here is what it says.

In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

 I don't want you to miss what Paul is saying here when he says- In everything give thanks. Paul is not saying that we should give thanks for everything, but that we should give thanks in everything. If we have this attitude it means that we recognize God's sovereign hand is in charge, and not blind fate or chance.

 Paul continues to tell us that we should give thanks because "this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you":  The thought isn't "this is God's will, so you must do it." The thought is rather "this is God's will, so you can do it."

 It isn't easy to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks, but we can do it because it is God's will.  Let us pray that we will always strive to display a heart of thankfulness and that our children will also develop a grateful heart.

 

 In His service,

  

Vilma